Main Relationship Identified in the sample : Mother and Son
During the touching movie The Blind Side, Michael "Big Mike" Oher and Leigh Tuohy reflects a great relationship of mother and son. Moreover, in spite of the fact that Big Mike was adopted, Leigh shows love and care and therefore expresses filial piety. On the other hand, Big Mike gives safety to Leigh wherever she goes and protects her from dangerous places.
"If you threaten my son I am gonna get all the freaking lawyer to destroy your life." - Leigh
Other relationship identified in the sample
1) Older brother and younger brother: Big Mike and SJ are not blood related brothers, but SJ is proud of Big Mike and does his best to make Big Mike feel welcome in the family. On the other hand, Big Mike does his best to keep SJ safe, which is shown in the scene where Big Mike stops the airbag that could have suppressed SJ to death. Therefore, Big Mike and SJ reflect a close and caring relationship as brothers.
2) Teacher and student: Big Mike and Miss Sue have a significant relationship as a teacher and a student. When Big Mike needed to raise his GPA up to play football, Miss Sue was hired to take the burden. In spite of Big Mike's lack of education from previous years, Miss Sue does her best to bring Big Mike up as a smart student and never gave up on him. Therefore, she eventually had a substantial role on Big Mike's football career and his acceptance to Ole Miss.
Comparison between identified sample and Confucian ideals for relationships
Similarities:
Confucius said, "In serving his parents, a son may gently remonstrate with them. When he sees that they are not inclined to listen to him, he should resume an attitude of reverence and not abandon his effort to serve them. He may feel worried, but does not complain." (4:18)
- When Big Mike and Leigh went to the dangerous part of the town, Big Mike tells her to stay in the car and obliges her to even though Leigh refused. Moreover, he kept on locking the door calmly and eventually made Leigh stay in the car to keep her out from the dangerous beings.
Tzu-kung said, "If a ruler extensively confers benefit on the people and can bring salvation to all, what do you think of him? Would you call him a man of humanity?" Confucius said, "Why only a man of humanity? He is without doubt a sage. Even (sage-emperors) Yao and Shun fell short of it. A man of humanity, wishing to establish his own character, also establishes the character of others, and wishing to be prominent himself, also helps others to be prominent. To be able to judge others by what is near to ourselves may be called the method of realizing humanity." (6:28)
- Confucius is stating that one who cares for other’s goods rather than one’s benefits is the one who deserved to be called as a person with humanity. In the scene of the movie, Miss sue- not even related in blood- still gives great care and love for Big Mike-the poor. Despite its difficulty for Miss Sue to take care of such a robust guy, she still sacrifices her time and manages to control him and event accepts him as a part of the family. Miss sue can be depicted as the one with humanity because she has sacrificed her comfort and relaxation for leading Big Mike into the road of success and righteousness.
"Lead the people with governmental measures and regulate them with laws and punishment, and they will avoid wrongdoing but will have no sense of honor and shame. Lead them with virtue and regulate them by the rules of propriety, and they will have a sense of shame and, moreover, set themselves right." (2:3)
Confucius is stating that one needs to lead people with virtue and the rules of propriety rather than harsh laws and punishments. Followers will be more respectful under the condition of harmonious ruling. This ideology is clearly demonstrated in the movie. Big mike, with lack of knowledge, had been having hard time trying to learn football strategies. The coach of the team was threatening Mike with screaming and shouting. Mike was trying but he could not fully understand the strategies. Thus the coach was on a point where he was going to give up on Mike. However, Miss Sue appeared and tried to teach Mike with virtue. Unlike the coach, Miss Sue was calm and had trust on Mike. Mike, not trying to disappoint Miss Sue, tried his hardest to successfully understand the plans. In the end, Mike was able to understand and became one of the best football player. As demonstrated by Miss Sue, the teaching with virtue can easily win over the teaching with laws and punishments.
Confucius said: "By nature men are pretty much alike; it is learning and practice that set them apart."
- Confucius is saying that people are same in the beginning but learning and practices are going to make them different. In the beginning of the movie, Mike and his friend were presented. While Mike was getting support from Miss sue’s family and proper education, his friend was not getting any proper education and fell to the road of the darkness. Even though they both started in the same situation but the consequences are significantly different. Mike was able to get into the professional NFL football team while his friend was killed during the fight of gangs. As you can see, environment around one will affect and determine one’s way of living.
Differences:
Confucius said, "In education there should be no class distinction." (15:38)
- Confucius says the teacher should be tolerant in choosing students. However on the other hand, many principals of high school did not accept Big mike to their schools due to his failing grades, lack of knowledge and lack of his identity. Unlike Confucius, Many principals valued and checked many factors of students in order to maintain their schools’ values. Toleration of choosing students had been possible in the age of Confucius but nowadays toleration has been vanished into thin air.
The Blind Side
Video Clips:
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: Mother and Son
"If you threaten my son I am gonna get all the freaking lawyer to destroy your life." - Leigh
2) Teacher and student: Big Mike and Miss Sue have a significant relationship as a teacher and a student. When Big Mike needed to raise his GPA up to play football, Miss Sue was hired to take the burden. In spite of Big Mike's lack of education from previous years, Miss Sue does her best to bring Big Mike up as a smart student and never gave up on him. Therefore, she eventually had a substantial role on Big Mike's football career and his acceptance to Ole Miss.
Confucius said, "In serving his parents, a son may gently remonstrate with them. When he sees that they are not inclined to listen to him, he should resume an attitude of reverence and not abandon his effort to serve them. He may feel worried, but does not complain." (4:18)
- When Big Mike and Leigh went to the dangerous part of the town, Big Mike tells her to stay in the car and obliges her to even though Leigh refused. Moreover, he kept on locking the door calmly and eventually made Leigh stay in the car to keep her out from the dangerous beings.
Tzu-kung said, "If a ruler extensively confers benefit on the people and can bring salvation to all, what do you think of him? Would you call him a man of humanity?" Confucius said, "Why only a man of humanity? He is without doubt a sage. Even (sage-emperors) Yao and Shun fell short of it. A man of humanity, wishing to establish his own character, also establishes the character of others, and wishing to be prominent himself, also helps others to be prominent. To be able to judge others by what is near to ourselves may be called the method of realizing humanity." (6:28)
- Confucius is stating that one who cares for other’s goods rather than one’s benefits is the one who deserved to be called as a person with humanity. In the scene of the movie, Miss sue- not even related in blood- still gives great care and love for Big Mike-the poor. Despite its difficulty for Miss Sue to take care of such a robust guy, she still sacrifices her time and manages to control him and event accepts him as a part of the family. Miss sue can be depicted as the one with humanity because she has sacrificed her comfort and relaxation for leading Big Mike into the road of success and righteousness.
"Lead the people with governmental measures and regulate them with laws and punishment, and they will avoid wrongdoing but will have no sense of honor and shame. Lead them with virtue and regulate them by the rules of propriety, and they will have a sense of shame and, moreover, set themselves right." (2:3)
Confucius is stating that one needs to lead people with virtue and the rules of propriety rather than harsh laws and punishments. Followers will be more respectful under the condition of harmonious ruling. This ideology is clearly demonstrated in the movie. Big mike, with lack of knowledge, had been having hard time trying to learn football strategies. The coach of the team was threatening Mike with screaming and shouting. Mike was trying but he could not fully understand the strategies. Thus the coach was on a point where he was going to give up on Mike. However, Miss Sue appeared and tried to teach Mike with virtue. Unlike the coach, Miss Sue was calm and had trust on Mike. Mike, not trying to disappoint Miss Sue, tried his hardest to successfully understand the plans. In the end, Mike was able to understand and became one of the best football player. As demonstrated by Miss Sue, the teaching with virtue can easily win over the teaching with laws and punishments.
Confucius said: "By nature men are pretty much alike; it is learning and practice that set them apart."
- Confucius is saying that people are same in the beginning but learning and practices are going to make them different. In the beginning of the movie, Mike and his friend were presented. While Mike was getting support from Miss sue’s family and proper education, his friend was not getting any proper education and fell to the road of the darkness. Even though they both started in the same situation but the consequences are significantly different. Mike was able to get into the professional NFL football team while his friend was killed during the fight of gangs. As you can see, environment around one will affect and determine one’s way of living.
Differences:
Confucius said, "In education there should be no class distinction." (15:38)
- Confucius says the teacher should be tolerant in choosing students. However on the other hand, many principals of high school did not accept Big mike to their schools due to his failing grades, lack of knowledge and lack of his identity. Unlike Confucius, Many principals valued and checked many factors of students in order to maintain their schools’ values. Toleration of choosing students had been possible in the age of Confucius but nowadays toleration has been vanished into thin air.